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Wyoming · Permit test

Wyoming learner’s permits and the graduated license rules

Wyoming’s graduated driver license (GDL) program has two main steps before a full license. The Wyoming learner’s permit, called an instruction permit in Wyoming law, comes first: you can get one at 15 by passing the written test and a vision screening at a Driver Services exam station of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). At 16 you can move up to an intermediate permit, which lets you drive alone with limits on hours and passengers.

  • 6 monthsIntermediate time needed, with driver ed
  • 30 daysSuspension for breaking intermediate limits
  • 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.When an intermediate permit holder may drive
Read the learner permit rules

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Which Wyoming learner’s permit do you need?

PermitWho gets itValid for
Instruction permit15 or older, after the written test and vision screening1 year, renewable as often as you need
Restricted instruction permit14 or 15, approved by the Wyoming Highway Patrol60 days
Intermediate permit16, after time on a permit, supervised practice and a skills testUntil 30 days after your 17th birthday

The 30-day end date for the intermediate permit is from the 2021 manual. Motorcycle permits follow their own rules.

The Wyoming motorcycle permit test →How to get a Wyoming driver’s license →

Wyoming instruction permit rules

Whenever you drive, a person 18 or older who holds a valid license for the type of vehicle you’re driving sits in the front passenger seat. Under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs your application. The permit lasts one year and you can renew it as many times as you need, but WYDOT says you must hold it at least 10 days before you apply for full driving privileges.

A regular learner’s permit is generally issued at 15 or 16, but anyone older who’s learning to drive can get one. You may need it to sign up for a driver education course.

How the Wyoming permit test works →

Getting the intermediate permit at 16

Apply in person, surrender your permit and bring your documents. To qualify, you need all of these:

  • You’re 16 years old
  • You’ve held a learner’s permit for at least 10 days
  • You’ve driven 50 hours behind the wheel, including 10 at night, certified by a parent on WYDOT’s Behind-the-Wheel Driving Certification form
  • You pass a driving skills test with Driver Services or through an approved driver education program
  • You pass a vision screening, and a parent or guardian signs the application

WYDOT also has an optional Behind-the-Wheel Driving Log for keeping track of your hours.

The Wyoming driving test →

Intermediate permit restrictions

On an intermediate permit, you may drive only from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., everyone in the car wears a seat belt, and you may carry no more than one passenger under 18 who isn’t immediate family. None of this applies while a person 18 or older with a full license sits beside you.

To drive outside those hours, carry WYDOT’s exception form, signed by a doctor for a medical need, by your employer for work, or by a parent for school, a school activity, an organized youth sports activity or a religious activity. You need a new form for each trip of that kind, though not for a real medical emergency. Breaking the restrictions brings a 30-day suspension under Wyoming law (W.S. 31‑7‑110).

Wyoming drivers education and full privileges

Driver education must be approved through the Wyoming Department of Education, and each school district decides which programs it offers. With an approved course and six months on an intermediate permit, you can get full privileges at 16 and a half. Without one, full privileges come at 17.

An approved course can also lead the examiner to waive your skills test, though that’s never guaranteed.

Approved driver education programs (Wyoming Department of Education) ↗Driver education and the driving test →

The restricted hardship permit at 14 or 15

The Wyoming Highway Patrol may approve a restricted permit for a 14- or 15-year-old when getting to school or work is an extreme inconvenience. You may qualify if you live more than 5 miles from school, work at least 10 hours a week more than 5 miles from home, need to drive for your parents’ business, or have another situation the Highway Patrol accepts.

You mail the application packet to the Highway Patrol, and approval or denial can take up to 6 weeks. Once approved, you pass the written test and vision screening at an exam station and drive with a licensed adult 18 or older. After 10 days you can apply for the restricted RC license, which allows driving only from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and within 50 miles of home. A moving violation, or driving outside those limits, gets it suspended.

Sources: Wyoming Department of Transportation · Wyoming Department of Education · Wyoming Legislature and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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